“I’ve always been a dog guy,” says Jeffrey Ansell, currently the proud owner of four. It’s no surprise, then, that Ansell has used his job as the head of Iams to better the lives of pets through a steady stream of innovations. Ansell’s team this past year produced a high-end food formulated to develop smarter, more trainable puppies, and developed Iams’s first “wet” food, in a convenient pouch. It pushed into veterinary services with the debut of two medical-imaging centers, which allow vets to limit exploratory surgery on dogs and cats. And it even created a pourable gravy to make dry dog food more appealing. Ansell’s focus on innovation has led to a record $1.6 billion in 2004 sales and the leadership position in pet food in North America.